Crash Bandicoot is the first installment in the Crash Bandicoot series, chronicling the creation of the titular character at the hands of the series antagonist Doctor Neo Cortex and his henchman Doctor Nitrus Brio. The game's story follows Crash's effort to stop his creators' plans for world domination, clean up any pollution they have caused, and save his girlfriend Tawna, a female bandicoot also evolved by Doctor Cortex and Nitrus Brio.

Crash Bandicoot received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the game's graphics and visual style, but noted the game's lack of innovation as a platform game. The game would later go on to become one of the best-selling PlayStation video games of all time and the first installment in an equally high-selling video game series. The game sold over 500,000 units in Japan, becoming the first non-Japanese title to achieve commercial success in the country.